World Breaking News

Death crush tree maintenance ‘inadequate’

January 11, 2017

The maintenance of a diseased tree which fell, then fell further, crushing a housekeeper was “wholly inadequate”, an inquest has found. Teresita Sison, 58, of Ladbroke Grove, was walking beneath the fallen tree in Kensington Road in October 2014 when it dropped again, killing her. The jury at the Royal Courts of Justice also said the police assessment of the danger to walkers was “insufficient”. However, they concluded Mrs Sison’s death had been “accidental”. Image copyright PA Image caption Teresita Sison’s husband Roberto, seen here with her, was in court to hear the jury’s findings The tree was growing on private property at Rutland Gate, opposite Hyde Park barracks, and fell as the UK was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo on 21 October 2014. CCTV footage shown in court showed pedestrians walking underneath the natural arch which was formed by the fallen tree as it rested against railings and a wall. Tree expert Kevin Moore told the inquest: “It wasn’t a matter of if it was going to fall, but when it was going to fall”. He said the tree was about 80 years old and had the consistency of “Weetabix” because of severe decay. Announcing the jury’s findings, the spokesman said the tree was “in a bad condition” because of the “wholly inadequate maintenance by the owners of Upper Rutland gardens”. “The police assessment and the subsequent dynamic assessment was insufficient”, the jury spokesman also said. Image copyright PA Image caption The inquest previously heard Mrs Sison…more detail

Image copyright PA Image caption Teresita Sison, seen here with her husband Roberto, died as she walked beneath the tree in Knightsbridge, west London Police failed to spot pedestrians walking beneath a fallen tree before it fell further and crushed a housekeeper, an inquest has been told. Teresita Sison, 58, of Ladbroke Grove, died when the tree fell as she made her way to work in Kensington Road in October 2014. The tree had fallen across the road in high winds as the UK was hit by the remnants of Hurricane Gonzalo. Police prioritised controlling traffic at the time, the…... [read more]

Harry Seidler’s Rose Seidler House in Wahroonga Photo: Nicholas-Watt for Sydney Living Museums Some of the greatest architecture in Australia isn’t found in grand public buildings such as the Sydney Opera House. Instead, they’re tucked away in suburban streets, where people live, as an exhibition currently on show at the Museum of Sydney reveals. Iconic Australian Houses is a behind-the-scenes exploration of 30 of the most important Australian homes of the past six decades by the founding editor of interiors magazine Inside Out, Karen McCartney. Interior detail from Neville Gruzman’s Hills House. It begins in 1950 with the Wahroonga home…... [read more]

Media captionDefence Secretary Philip Hammond: "The return of the troops from Germany marks the end of an era"Four Army bases are to close as part of a shake-up to accommodate thousands of troops returning from Germany. Claro Barracks in North Yorkshire, Howe in Kent, Craigiehall in Edinburgh and Cawdor in Pembrokeshire will be shut. Parts of Edinburgh's Redford barracks, Forthside in Stirling and Copthorne in Shropshire will also close. Returning forces will be stationed around seven sites, including Salisbury Plain, Edinburgh and Leuchars, Catterick and Colchester. The other sites are Aldershot, Stafford and the East Midlands. There has been a…... [read more]

Network Rail workers have voted in favour of a UK-wide strike in a row over pay, the Rail, Maritime and Transport union has said. Having rejected pay offers from Network Rail, 80% of members voted to strike, on a turnout of 60%. Union bosses turned down the offer of a one-off £500 payment to staff and three years of rises in line with inflation. Network Rail said industrial action would "have a massive impact on millions of passengers". "It cannot be right that the unions can hold the country to ransom in this way," said Mark Carne, chief executive of…... [read more]

Ken Starr, known for his role in the Monica Lewinsky investigation during Bill Clinton’s presidency and, more recently, for leaving high-level positions at Baylor University amid the football program’s ongoing sexual-assault scandal, is reportedly close to joining President Trump’s administration. Starr is among a handful of candidates in the running to be named ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom at the State Department. “It’s my understanding that it’s his job if he wants it,” a person described as familiar with the vetting process told Foreign Policy. The job entails monitoring the persecution of religious minorities, and under Trump, it is expected…... [read more]

Fox NewsKellyanne Conway appears on Fox News. President Donald Trump’s top White House counselor on Thursday asked Americans to buy Ivanka Trump’s fashion line, potentially violating federal government ethics rules. Appearing on “Fox & Friends,” Kellyanne Conway dismissed Nordstrom’s decision to drop Ivanka Trump’s line. She also claimed that the president’s daughter was the victim of mockery online from retail executives, though it wasn’t clear whom she was referring to. “I do find it ironic that you have some executives all over the internet bragging about what they have done to her and her line, and yet they’re using the…... [read more]

Donald Trump is hardly the first president to lie. But what distinguishes Trump from previous presidential fibsters are his meta-lies. These claim that the very institutions empowered in a democracy to expose lies are themselves corrupt, dishonest and lying. In spreading his meta-lies, Trump poisons the well of democratic discourse. The great political thinker Hannah Arendt once dryly observed:“lies have always been regarded as necessary and justifiable tools … of the statesman’s trade.” Arendt writes that what distinguishes democratic from authoritarian regimes is not the greater honesty of democratic politicians. The saving grace of democracies is the existence of neutral,…... [read more]

Feb 6 Dht Holdings Inc says: * DHT Holdings board unanimously rejects unsolicited proposal from Frontline. * the DHT board concluded that the "Frontline proposal is wholly inadequate and not in the best interests of DHT or its shareholders" * "We believe that Frontline's proposal substantially undervalues our company and represents an opportunistic attempt to acquire DHT at a low point in the cycle," said Erik Lind, Chairman of DHT. * Says "We are confident that DHT will generate significantly more value to shareholders as an independent company than the prospects afforded by this proposal." * Says: The execution of…... [read more]

By Gwladys Fouche | OSLO OSLO Tanker firm DHT Holdings (DHT.N) unanimously rejected late on Sunday the proposed deal by rival Frontline (FRO.OL), controlled by shipping tycoon John Fredriksen.Last week Frontline made a non-binding offer to acquire all DHT's outstanding shares to create the largest private tanker firm in the world. The "Frontline proposal is wholly inadequate and not in the best interests of DHT or its shareholders," DHT Chairman Erik Lind said in a statement. "We believe that Frontline's proposal substantially undervalues our company and represents an opportunistic attempt to acquire DHT at a low point in the cycle."…... [read more]

When President Trump’s son, Eric, visited Uruguay for a Trump Organisation business trip in January, the US taxpayer paid almost $100,000 (£80,000) to cover his security costs, a new report claims. Eric Trump visited the Trump Tower in Punta del Este for as little as two nights, according to local press. The bill for the Secret Service agents’ hotel rooms for the duration of his stay was $88,320. The US Embassy also paid $9,510 for diplomatic staff to “support” the Secret Service, bringing the total costs of the trip to $97,470. Government agencies have not disclosed key details of the…... [read more]